View Poll Results: Keeping celestial nav skills alive
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Never learned, too many sight reduction books to haul around
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13 |
28.26% |
Learned, but no longer practice
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17 |
36.96% |
Learned, practice every chance for that perfect pin wheel
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16 |
34.78% |
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13-02-2012, 13:58
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Northern and Southern California
Boat: too many
Posts: 3,731
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Who Still Practices Celestial Navigation ?
Be honest, no one should dump on you. Grad requirement from Maritime Academy (CMA)
Learned, but a bit rusty.
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13-02-2012, 14:23
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Ontario, Canukistan
Boat: CN35 - 1960 35' steel yawl
Posts: 118
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
I'd go for option 3 if the new sextant I ordered ever arrives :/
__________________
Any way the winds blows, doesn't really matter... to me
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13-02-2012, 14:25
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#3
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Pusher of String
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: On the hard; Trinidad
Boat: Trisbal 42, Aluminum Cutter Rigged Sloop
Posts: 2,314
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There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
__________________
"So, rather than appear foolish afterward, I renounce seeming clever now."
William of Baskerville
"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
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13-02-2012, 14:28
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#4
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cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 128
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
i do. actualy i can not be on the sea not to take at lesat one sight. even when i am on ancor, just for fun. sometimes even from my balkony.
"Never learned, too many sight reduction books to haul around"
actualy you do not need one single "reduction" book, apart nautical almanac to take, let say, noon sight or polaris sight for latitude
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13-02-2012, 14:32
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Portishead UK
Boat: Dudley Dix Hout Bay 33
Posts: 139
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by foolishsailor
There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
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+1
__________________
SteveT
Somewhere at sea
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13-02-2012, 14:34
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Madison Wi
Boat: Stuart Mariner 19
Posts: 49
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
There is still another choice which is that I am working on lesrning it now. Have all the gear and tables aboard.
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13-02-2012, 14:38
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#7
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always in motion is the future
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: in paradise
Boat: Sundeer 64
Posts: 18,864
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
I do celestial navigation all the time. I use the artificial kind of satellites and let a receiver called gps deal with them
ciao!
Nick.
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13-02-2012, 14:39
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Oriental nc 28571
Boat: 1970 morgan 28
Posts: 29
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
I myself know how ,and actually still have books &sextant[prob needs oiling],but I am going with {foolishsailor} on this one
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13-02-2012, 14:51
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Northern and Southern California
Boat: too many
Posts: 3,731
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
By popular request, have put up a new and improved poll.
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13-02-2012, 14:53
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Back in Northern California working on the Ranch
Boat: Pearson 365 Sloop and 9' Fatty Knees.
Posts: 10,466
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
Unfortunately you did not have a poll option of "have a sextant and intend to learn". I bought a C. Plath Classic sextant after looking around for a few months. It was a steal compared to what they use to sell for. I just want to learn to use it for noon sites for little else than intertainment and knowing it will be a hand up if anything happens to the 3 GPS's I have on board.
__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: Wow - what a ride!"
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13-02-2012, 15:00
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Northern and Southern California
Boat: too many
Posts: 3,731
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Celestialsailor
Unfortunately you did not have a poll option of "have a sextant and intend to learn". I bought a C. Plath Classic sextant after looking around for a few months. It was a steal compared to what they use to sell for. I just want to learn to use it for noon sites for little else than intertainment and knowing it will be a hand up if anything happens to the 3 GPS's I have on board.
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I just did, by popular demand here in Navigation Topics. I wish I could pull this poll because everyone is correct, I didn't give enough choices.
It is a big jump to this link
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...oll-76732.html
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13-02-2012, 16:29
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Nova Scotia until Spring 2021
Boat: Custom 41' Steel Pilothouse Cutter
Posts: 4,976
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by foolishsailor
There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
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That would be me. To be fair, I still buy the tables each year so if I feel like practicing, it's as easy as bringing the sextant with me.
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13-02-2012, 16:32
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#13
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Nearly an old salt
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Lefkas Marina ,Greece
Boat: Bavaria 36
Posts: 22,801
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by foolishsailor
There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
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Yeap thats ME
DAVE
__________________
Interested in smart boat technology, networking and all things tech
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13-02-2012, 16:44
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#14
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cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 128
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
by the way, any one have or know link for "polaris (pole star) tables" for 2012. i am using nautical almanac from this site Download but they do not have this one.
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13-02-2012, 16:50
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC
Boat: C&C Landfall 38
Posts: 821
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?
Learned it, used it for 2 runs PNW to South Pacific and back, then the programmable calculator came out and made it a whole lot easier, then GPS handheld size, suddenly it was very easy. I can live with paper charts and a pair of battery operated $50 GPS but like my chartplotter, radar and other goodies.
Do I need them no, but as said I would keep handheld and paper charts, too many 4-5 days periods without a sky view and looking for a landfall that should be there. Sometimes you couldn’t even get a star sighting, and then near land remember LORAN and RDF?
No need today, I won’t even pack a sextant for good old time sake. We use to sit in the cockpit of a boat with several bottles of wine and group of friends and play point out that star, normally it would go through 5 alphabets before someone stumbled on a letter, that with 6-7 people playing, now that was the good old days.
Now as a hobby for someone I wouldn’t kick them off the boat if they brought one on, but I also wouldn’t rely on their ability to use it. If their want to take shots and then confirm with the boats systems I would applaud them.
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